Apple Watch Series 11 review: A little more polish

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Even though it’s more of a refined version of its predecessor than a major generational leap, there’s still plenty to like about the Apple Watch Series 11.

I don’t much envy the position that Apple finds itself in with its line-up of wearables in 2025. The range finally got a major processing bump with the Apple Watch Series 9 and then a big hardware revamp that slimmed everything down for the Apple Watch Series 10, whilst also broadening the display.

With those features in tow, there’s a case to be made that the Apple Watch has ‘peaked’, and anything beyond this point will only involve iterative updates.

Well, having used the Apple Watch Series 11 for over a week now, I can definitely say that Apple is nowhere near as withheld with its updates compared to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, but whether or not the Series 11 is an essential upgrade depends entirely on the smartwatch you currently use.

There are a few users who could probably go without, but if you do have the money to upgrade, then you will absolutely find the best Apple Watch experience to date in the Series 11.

Design & Build

• Ever-so slightly larger than the Series 10
• More durable with Ion-X glass
• Still comfortable to wear

When it comes to the design, it’s very much business as usual, but this isn’t too surprising given that the Series 10 brought a fairly major overhaul to the table.

Being 10% thinner than the Series 9, the Series 10 felt far more comfortable on the wrist, making it easier to wear for longer periods of time, especially during the night.

The Series 11 holds onto this concept and it’s right up there with Garmin Venu X1 as being one of the most comfortable watches I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing.

The biggest design upgrade on the Series 11 is hidden in plain sight

It is worth mentioning that, likely as a result of the larger battery found within the Series 11, the watch is ever so slightly bigger than the Series 10, but not by much. For example, the equivalent 46mm Cellular model I’ve been wearing weighs in at 36.9g, but the same model of the Series 10 weighs 35.3g.

It’s a minimal difference but worth mentioning for anyone currently using last year’s watch who might be tempted to upgrade.

The biggest design upgrade on the Series 11 is hidden in plain sight, and it’s the addition of the all-new Ion-X glass display, which Apple says is 2x more scratch resistant. As you can imagine, a feature like this is tricky to test but I will say that in the time that I’ve been using the watch, it has been accidentally knocked into a couple of doorways and during a swim, incurred a fairly full-on collision with one of the lane barriers which I was convinced would leave a mark, but to my surprise the screen still looks as if it’s just come out of the box.

Just like before, the Watch Series 11 is fully waterproof up to 50m, so if you’re like me and you enjoy an occasional trip to the local swimming pool then you won’t have to worry about taking off the Apple Watch before you get in the water. Similarly, any lesser encounters like a splash from the sink or a bit of rain won’t be cause for concern either.

There is one more colour available over last year with the introduction of Space Grey Aluminium, but to my eye, it looks almost identical to the Silver Aluminium option, and it makes me wish that Apple would go back to the expressive options you could get with the Series 7 and the Series 6.

The Apple Watch felt right at home with Green and Blue colourways, and as someone who likes to swap out the standard rubber Sport Band for something a bit more eye-catching, I would love to see Apple embrace colour again in next year’s Watch.

This is a minor gripe, however, as the Apple Watch remains one of the best-looking smartwatches out there if you’re ok with a square design, and it’s no wonder that a ton of companies try to emulate the company’s style here (just look at the Huawei Watch Fit 4 if you don’t believe me). 

Screen & Audio

• Very bright and easy to read outdoors
• The depth of colour helps icons and watch faces to really pop
• The best speakers I’ve ever heard on a smartwatch

Unlike the design where there was at least a shift forward in durability, the screen on the Apple Watch Series 11 is identical to what came last year, and while that might be an excuse to groan for some, I think that Apple made the right call here.

I always want to see innovation in areas that make sense instead of having upgrades just for the sake of needing something new to talk about on a specs sheet, and in its current form, the display on the Apple Watch Series 11 gives me no cause for concern.

With 2000 nits of peak brightness (originally brought in on the Series 9), the Series 11’s display is incredibly easy to read outdoors and more importantly, I haven’t struggled when it comes to glancing at the more subdued always-on display.

Even when the colour of a watch face has been drained away, I can still see what the time is, which isn’t always a given as I recently had this exact issue when reviewing the more budget-friendly CMF Watch 3 Pro.

Throw on top of that the introduction of a wider viewing angle and LTPO3 technology on the Series 10, and there really isn’t anything here to leave you wanting. What’s strange is that, even though the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (which I also reviewed) has a higher 3000 nits peak brightness, I can’t honestly say that the visual experience on the latest Apple Watch feels like a step back.

I can now admit that Apple is on to something here

Part of what works in the Apple Watch’s favour is the vibrant colour palette that its OLED display is able to conjure up. It didn’t matter if I was looking at one of the many watch faces that Apple has designed for its wearable ecosystem, or simply scrolling through the collection of installed apps, there was always something there to catch my attention because of how it all pops.

Last year, Apple made a big deal about the ability to listen to music and podcasts via the built-in speaker on the Series 10, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t scoff at the very concept of it.

Given just how much hatred there is for those who decide to blast music from their phones on public transport with no concern for the rest of the general public, the absolute last thing I’d ever want to do is become such a pariah by listening to The Rest is Entertainment via my wrist.

However, when giving the feature a spin from the comfort of my own home, I can now admit that Apple is on to something here. Taking CKY’s 96 Quite Bitter Beings for a spin (my go-to song for testing wearable speakers), I was impressed by the clarity of the cymbals and how well the vocals carried through, even if – as you can imagine – there was some detail missing on the guitar riff.

Swapping over to the Kinda Funny Games Daily podcast, I found myself settling in rather quickly and enjoying the playback as a means of consuming the latest episode.

Not only does the Apple Watch Series 11 have the best sounding speaker of any smartwatch I’ve tested so far, but it also has me convinced that, at times when my AirPods and iPhone are out of reach, I may just use it for a bit of entertainment if the mood strikes, which isn’t something I thought I’d admit to before I began writing this review.

Software & Features

• Now with 5G
• New Exactograph and Flow watch faces
• Smooth performance

Here’s where we start getting into some of the meat of the big changes this year, but before doing so, I will attempt to strip away a band-aid early by letting you know that in terms of raw performance, nothing has changed in the Series 11 as it uses the exact same S10 chipset as before.

Given that big strides are starting to be made on the Wear OS front with faster chipsets that allow for access to Google Gemini on your wrist, it would have been nice to see Apple leapfrog the competition somewhere, but the core day-to-day performance here is still rock solid.

With days that included listening to Spotify offline at the gym, using the watch for NFC payments and Apple Maps to navigate my way through London for an event, the Series 11 did it all without any moments of stuttering or slowdown. It’s exactly the kind of top-tier experience that you buy an Apple Watch for, and even with the more powerful Apple Watch Ultra 3 on the market, I never found myself wanting more.

If you opt for the cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 11, you’ll be able to connect to 5G networks, which is a huge win for using the wearable away from your iPhone.

For example, if you decide to leave your iPhone at home as you go out for a lunchtime walk, you can take calls on the watch just like before, but now you’ll enjoy a much better connection that’s less likely to incur a problem if there’s a 5G signal available. As someone who likes to use their Apple Watch in this way, particularly as I’m far less likely to be distracted by my watch, it’s great to see this addition.

Arriving alongside the Series 11 (although also available on other Apple Watches) are the Flow and Exactograph watch faces.

The former takes a leaf out of Apple’s Liquid Glass aesthetic, which permeates iOS 26 and has glass-like numbers sitting above a swirling blob of colour. It looks very Apple and it might be perfect for some, but I’m a bigger fan of the Exactograph option.

I’ve come to rely on it quite a bit

Much like GMT or Metropolitan, you can have four complications surrounding the core watch face, which shows dials for the seconds, minutes and hours of the day.

Tap on the centre of the watch face and it’ll send all of those complications away and expand those dials like measuring tape to give you a close look at the seconds and minutes as they slip away. It’s quite fun to play around with, and there are some great colour options that have each dial taking on different shades.

These two new watch faces sit on top of what is already one of the best collections available in the smartwatch space. Only Samsung comes close to matching Apple on this front, but I still believe that watch faces are a crucial part of what makes a great wearable as it’s what you’re going to be looking at most of the time, and to have a good mix of fashionable and functional picks is a huge win, and I feel more inclined to swap between them depending on my mood.

As a side note, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to use the Apple Watch’s double-tap feature, which lets you interact with certain apps just by pinching your thumb and forefinger together, and while (much like the onboard speaker) I initially scoffed at the idea, I’ve come to rely on it quite a bit.

For stopping cooking timers while I’m stirring a pot, or cycling through the Smart Stack, it’s come to be part of how I use the Apple Watch from day to day, and the same goes for the new wrist flick feature, which takes you back a step quickly.

Fitness & Health Tracking

• Can detect high blood pressure
• Sleep tracking now comes with a score
• Workout Buddy offers personalised guidance

Fitness tracking has always been a key selling point of the Apple Watch and now the company’s extensive software has become even more capable thanks to a handful of new additions, with potentially the most important being alerts for hypertension (high blood pressure).

Thankfully, I haven’t had to witness any hypertension alerts pop up over the course of this review, but given just how important it is to stay on top of high blood pressure with healthy eating and regular exercise, I think it’s a great feature to have, especially if it’s able to encourage some people to lead a more active lifestyle.

Giving credit where it’s due, the feature did make an appearance before on the Huawei Watch D and its follow-up, but it’s good to see Apple embrace the technology and broaden the scope of what its health tech can do. It could be life-saving.

If there was one area where I wished that Apple had matched some rivals, it’s in the realm of sleep tracking. The Series 11 and all compatible Apple Watches now present users with a sleep score each morning, giving them a rough idea of how well rested their body is.

The score, which is presented as a number out of 100, is compiled of three key metrics: the duration of your sleep, the time you went to bed and any interruptions throughout the night.

Having the Sleep Score is a nicety as it helps somewhat to break down all of the sleep data that otherwise doesn’t mean that much to the average person. I just wish that it went one step further to emulate many others, like Huawei, which can provide personalised advice on what all the data means and how to improve your circadian rhythm.

The Apple Health app does offer up general advice on what you can do to get a better night’s sleep, but it doesn’t take into account your sleep data, which feels like a missed opportunity and an obvious area where Apple Intelligence could be put to use.

I’d argue that you can safely rely on the data from the Series 11 to give you a good look at your cardiovascular performance

On the workout side of things, the Apple Watch is still one of the frontrunners in this sector. Tons of workouts can be tracked, and with heart rate zones available mid-workout, you can see in real-time how much of a sweat you’re building up and whether or not you can take things further. If you’re stuck for inspiration, then Apple Fitness+ can serve as a very helpful tool, especially for those starting out, but it’s the accuracy of the data collected that always makes me feel comfortable with using the Apple Watch at the gym.

When used alongside a chest-worn Garmin HRM 600 heart rate tracker, the Apple Watch Series 11 was spot on each time when it came to registering the average heart rate of a workout, and there was only ever a discrepancy of 1BPM when it came to measuring the low end, which is negligible.

There was one instance during an elliptical workout where the Apple Watch picked up a peak that was 3BPM higher than that of the HRM 600, but this seemed like more of an anomaly after further testing, so I’d argue that you can safely rely on the data from the Series 11 to give you a good look at your cardiovascular performance.

GPS tracking is similarly spot on and very quick to establish a connection. When trying my hand at a 6k run through my local park, the Series 11 did a great job of recognising where I was in relation to the documented path, and I always appreciate being able to analyse the data thereafter to see which sections ended up being the toughest.

It is worth noting that it’s still not dual-band GPS, which you’ll find on many rivals. Apple still reserves this more accurate tech for the Ultra.

If you’re just starting out on your running journey, then you may appreciate the introduction of the Workout Buddy. This Apple Intelligence feature gives you personalised Siri-like words of encouragement as you go, and that’s a great thing to have in those moments where you might be struggling and the last kilometre seems like a stretch too far.

The problem is that this feature only works if you have an iPhone with you that’s connected to the internet, and as someone who purposefully leaves their phone at home when they work out to avoid distraction, this feels like an unnecessary hurdle.

It may be to preserve the battery life of the watch and there’s plenty of promise here if Apple can develop a version of Workout Buddy that works entirely on an Apple Watch then I can definitely see myself using it fairly regularly.

the one feature that I, and many others, have been clamouring for is finally here

Battery Life & Charging

• The longest battery life of any standard Apple Watch
• Can easily reach two-days of use
• Charging is quick, reaching a full battery in just over an hour

At this point, Apple’s unwavering commitment to an 18-hour battery life on the Apple Watch had become so commonplace that I genuinely never expected to see any type of battery upgrade for the Series 11, particularly as it serves as a key reason to splurge out for the more expensive Apple Watch Ultra 3, which can run for up to 42-hours at a time.

When Apple finally announced that the Series 11 would be getting a 24-hour battery life, I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing – the one feature that I, and many others, have been clamouring for is finally here.

Of course, it has to be pointed out that with the five days of use that you can get from the OnePlus Watch 3, not to mention the more than week-long duration that Garmin watches can reach, having 24-hours of use isn’t moving the needle as far as the wider industry is concerned, but for Apple Watch users it’s a massive deal.

The 24-hour claim is actually more on the conservative side of what can be achieved here. When using the watch for notifications only, I managed to get from 10am one morning to midnight the following day with 7% left in the tank. If you’re going away for a night and you forget to bring your charger, then you may not have to worry, and you can always toggle the low power mode if things do get a little dicey.

When adding a workout into the mix and interacting with the watch a bit more, I was able to get from 10:35am to 9am the following day with 57% remaining, which feels leagues ahead of when I would have to immediately charge my Apple Watch SE after waking up to make sure it had enough juice left for the day.

Speaking of charging, the Series 11 boasts some of the fastest speeds I’ve come across on any smartwatch. Charging the Watch from 0%, I managed to claw back 74% (more than enough for a day of use) after just 30 minutes, and it only took a total of roughly 61 minutes before the battery was full.

Compared to the occasional two-hour wait time I’ve had with some smartwatches, being able to get this done quickly on the Apple Watch Series 11 is amazing, and I think it’ll be hard to go back to anything else after the fact.

By having a longer battery life and fast-charging, the Series 11 works brilliantly as a back-up for your iPhone if its battery ever gets depleted. On a rare day when my iPhone’s battery has dipped into the red, it’s been a great bit of reassurance knowing that I can use my Apple Watch for payments and messaging if needed.

Apple supplies the watch with the usual round charger and although this isn’t Qi wireless charging technology, there are countless compatible wireless chargers from third-parties which are compatible.

Price & Availability

Despite being launched amidst an ever-growing wave of economic turbulence, the Apple Watch Series 11 boasts the same £369/$399 starting price as its predecessor. There are several price bumps depending on the particular model that you want, however.

For example, the 42mm Aluminium finish carries that aforementioned price tag, but the 46mm variants bumps that up to £399/$429. Alternatively, the Titanium finish for the 42mm and 46mm options will set you back £649/$699 and £699/749 respectively.

While the Titanium finish comes with cellular connectivity as standard, opting to have the feature with one of the Aluminium models requires an additional £100/$100 to be added to the price, so it’s worth assessing ahead of time as to whether or not you plan on actually making the most of the feature.

There are four colourways for the Aluminium model (Spacey Gray, Jet Black, Rose Gold and Silver) and three for the Titanium option (Natural, Gold, Slate), all of which are now available to buy in all major territories around the world.

You can buy the Series 11 from Apple as well as just about every retailer under the sun, including Amazon, John Lewis, Argos and BestBuy in the US.

Even though the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and the Pixel Watch 4 carry a cheaper price tag of £319/$329.99 and £349/$349.99 respectively, the fact that neither work with an iPhone mean that the Series 11’s biggest competition is, funnily enough, the Apple Watch SE 3.

Available from just £219/$249 and now with an always-on display, the Apple Watch SE 3 is arguably the better buy for kids and you may not feel like you need to spend any more if you don’t mind missing out on longer battery life, a larger screen, a more durable design and some health features.

Should you buy the Apple Watch Series 11?

Instead of being a massive overhaul on the Apple Watch Series 10, the new Apple Watch Series 11 feels like a refined version of its predecessor with a longer battery life and more durable display, but that’s perfectly fine with me.

The extended battery life alone is something that I’ve been wanting on an Apple Watch for years, so to know that I no longer have to worry about it during a night out is a major win. Even though you can easily find the Series 10 for a discounted price now that it’s been superseded, I would argue that anyone looking to upgrade should simply plump for the Series 11 as it’s a better experience overall.

There is still room for improvement, as I don’t think that Apple’s new Sleep Score feature goes far enough in helping users to truly understand what can cause a good/bad night’s sleep and how to improve the quality of their rest in the long run.

Similarly, I would like to see a version of Workout Buddy that can operate without the need for an iPhone to be connected at all times, but neither of these issues detract from what is easily the most feature-packed and well-refined Apple Watch to date.

Specs

• 42/46mm sizes
• 50m water resistance
• OLED display
• 64GB internal storage
• 2000 nits peak brightness
• Built-in speaker
• GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou support
• ECG
• Blood pressure alerts
• 24-hour battery life